1. Field
This invention pertains to woven baskets and, in particular, to decorative woven baskets made from strips of cloth.
2. State of the Art
Baskets woven from fibrous material strands, such as wicker baskets, are well-known and have been crafted for ages. Generally, the sidewall of such baskets are formed from interwoven strands of material. The strands are woven when wet and flexible so as to provide a plurality of runs in contact with each other. The strands are woven around vertically extending members which project upwardly from the base of the basket. When the material of which the basket is formed dries, the basket becomes relatively stiff and inflexible.
Baskets have also been constructed wherein the sidewalls of the basket are woven from strips of synthetic plastic as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,180,385. The latter baskets are similar to wicker baskets inasmuch as a separate bottom or base is required having vertical ribs extending upwardly therefrom. The material of which the sidewalls are made is then woven around the vertically extending ribs.
In U.S. Pat. No. 77,516, which issued on May 5, 1868, a basket is shown which is made of strips of cloth that have been braided or twisted together. The braids are then sewed together into a basket shape. The outside and inside of the basket is then sized with a suitable stiffening substance and painted or varnished so that the basket is stiff enough to retain its shape.
3. Objectives
A principal objective of the present invention is to provide a highly decorative and useful basket which is woven from strips of quilted cloth so as to achieve a basket which will hold its shape well and which after being folded or crushed to a substantially flat condition can be reformed into its original shape without any harm to the basket or its ability to hold its shape. An additional objective is to provide such a basket in which the bottom of the basket is formed from the woven strips of cloth, with the opposite ends of each strip of cloth forming the bottom of the basket being turned upwardly to form the vertical strips in the sidewalls of the basket, whereby the sidewalls are an integral extension of the bottom of the basket.